Forgiveness and Stuff
by ctfallengoddess
Summary: Lucas forgives Haley for tutoring Nathan when she reveals why.
1. Default Chapter

Forgiveness and Stuff  
  
"Lucas! Lucas!" Haley yelled, trying to catch up to him. Lucas didn't slow down any. "Come on Luke. I want to talk to you."  
  
"Haley - don't," he said when she caught up to him.  
  
Haley kept her eyes on him, and he carefully kept his gaze straight ahead. "Don't what?" she asked.  
  
"Don't try to justify you betraying me, and more importantly, lying to me."  
  
She bit her lip. "Luke, you don't understand -"  
  
"I understand perfectly," Lucas cut her off, stopping in his tracks. "You lied to me Haley, what's not to understand?"  
  
"It's not all black and white. If you knew the whole story this wouldn't be that big a deal," Haley remarked.  
  
Luke half-laughed, "You're the one who made it a big deal. If it's not a big deal you wouldn't have lied to me." He paused. "You would have told me from the beginning. I thought we were best friends," Lucas said, not bothering to hide how hurt he was.  
  
Haley's eyes burned. It broke her heart to hear the emotion in his voice. She knew him, and she knew what she did hurt him more than he wanted to admit. She walked over to the bench some feet away. Luke followed her. "I did it for you," she said softly, trying hard not to let the tears escape her eyes. One tear and it was all over.  
  
Lucas sighed. He didn't want to hear, but at the same time he did. He wasn't ready to throw away their friendship. "Did what?"  
  
"I'm not friends with Nathan, Lucas. He came to me. He needed a tutor. At first I said no because of you but then being me I felt bad. I shouldn't feel bad after all he's done to you, but I did."  
  
"Haley. Haley - slow down. Take a breath now and then," Lucas told her.  
  
"So I did. But on two conditions; one - he leaves you alone," Haley paused.  
  
"And two?"  
  
Haley closed her eyes. "And two, you never find out."  
  
Lucas looked at her, waiting for more.  
  
"I knew, if you knew I was doing this to get him to lay off you then you would stop me. Or at least try to. You know how stubborn I can be." Lucas laughed a little. "But Luke I know you better than anyone. It's killing you, the stuff he does to you. As much as you don't want to admit that - I can see it. And it hurts me."  
  
Luke ran a hand through his hair, thinking about what Haley had said. Keeping his eyes on the ground he asked, "Why did you stand up for him?"  
  
"Stupidity I suppose," she said. "Maybe I'm just gullible and naïve. He said he'd leave you alone if I tutored him to keep him on the team. I thought with being on the team at stake he'd take me seriously," Haley answered him.  
  
Lucas nodded. "Do you like him?"  
  
"What?" Haley asked. "Like him as in?"  
  
"Any sense of the word."  
  
Haley laughed. "I'm stupid but not that stupid."  
  
They sat in silence for a few minutes.  
  
"Forgive me?" Haley asked, looking at him.  
  
Lucas turned to look at her. He could see the remorse on her face. "Yea, do me a favor though."  
  
"Anything," Haley jumped in.  
  
"Next time you want to help me, talk to me about it first."  
  
Haley smiled. "Agreed, I swear."  
  
"Then, you are forgiven," Luke said.  
  
Haley threw her arms around Lucas. "I knew you missed me."  
  
"Not as much as you missed me," he smirked.  
  
"Probably not."  
  
Haley stayed there with her arms around him, just enjoying this. She still had her best friend. He didn't hate her. Life was great at the moment. Now she just has to tell Nathan to either get a different tutor or get kicked off the team. 


	2. Breaking Ties

Haley sat at the table at the docks, where she and Nathan have been meeting for the tutoring sessions. Annoyed, she tapped her pen on the table. She glanced at her watch again; ten minutes late. She closed her notebook for English and packed up her belongings.  
  
Nathan came jogging down the walkway to the table. "Haley wait, don't go. I'm just a little late."  
  
"Ten minutes late Nathan. Besides I wanted to talk to you."  
  
"What about?" he asked, with his trademark smirk.  
  
Haley rolled her eyes. "Don't look to happy. I'm not tutoring you anymore."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me. I can't and won't tutor you any more," Haley repeated herself.  
  
"Why? Is it because Luke found out about us?" Nathan questioned.  
  
"Not us. There is no us," Haley clarified. She shook her head and laughed. "No, it's because you won't leave Lucas alone, Nathan. You said you would stop. Basketball means so much to you, and yet you won't abide by the one condition I set on tutoring you to keep *you* on the team."  
  
"What did I do now?" Nathan asked.  
  
"What haven't you done?" she snapped back. "You wrecked Peyton's car and were going to dump it off on Lucas."  
  
"Oh, you heard about that."  
  
"About that, about the comment you made at the party, might I add that you only invited Lucas to, to pick on him in a large public audience. I heard what you said. That's trying to include him? You are such a jerk. Let's see, or how about the tape of Karen and Dan? Did you really have to play that?" Haley said, not giving him a chance to say anything until now.  
  
Nathan rolled his eyes and turned to walk away.  
  
"I should never have agreed to this."  
  
Nathan turned back to her. "Then why did you?"  
  
"I did it because I wanted to try to help my best friend. If I could get you to lay off him, it would be worth it," Haley told him. "But you obviously don't know much about friendship, or any relationships for that matter."  
  
Nathan shrugged. "Don't help. See if I care. I'll just find a different way to piss Lucas off." Nathan turned and walked away from her. 


End file.
